For its first live CD-DVD, Canadian band Thousand Foot Krutch picked Edmonton’s Rexall Place for the venue. Lead singer Trevor McNevan, a sports fan, notes on the CD sleeve “Live at The Masquerade” that Rexall Place is home to the NHL’s Oilers and Wayne Gretzky‘s major accomplishments. It was a place that rocked with four Stanley Cup winners and now comes to life with TFK as an excellent venue for a concert.

I’m not a fan of live CDs, but this CD offers crisp music that lacks the distortion that is often on live music CDs. McNevan’s high energy also comes through loud and clear. It’s a fist-pumping, wanna-scream-and-dance evoking experience. (I was head-banging at my desk while editing sports copy, probably not a good look.)

The live show features all the favorites – “Fire It Up,” “Bring Me to Life,” “E for Extinction,” and the title track – from “Welcome to the Masquerade,” one of the best hard-rock Christian CDs that has come across my desk in the few years that I have been doing this blog. Going old school, McNevan turns to “Rawkfist,” and “Puppet.”

As for not being a fan of live CDs, this one just made me a convert.

The DVD portion of the concert gives the viewer a true sense of McNevan and the band’s energy — it’s nonstop. But I would have liked to have seen more backstage or behind the scenes video of the band such as:
What the band does to tuneup before a show?
Where do the eat?
Do they take naps like hockey players before a big game?
I’d like to see them putting on their makeup.
Stuff like that would put the viewer behind the scenes.

One of my colleagues is just getting into Christian rock, so I’m going to pass this along to him and I’ll let you know what he thinks of this live CD.

Brandon Heath won the last two Dove Awards for Male Vocalist of the Year with “Give Me Your Eyes,” and “I’m Not Who I Was,” but those tunes pale in comparison with what he offers on “Leaving Eden.”

The CD showcases his vocals more than his first two offerings, with Heath holding notes and expanding his range from the first song “Leaving Eden” to the last “As Long As I’m Here.” And his ability to intertwine daily life into compelling lyrics is evident in “It’s No Good to Be Alone” and “Might Just Save Your Life.”

As we round the corner toward Christmas here’s a few of my favorite Christmas CDs from Christian artists that made their way across my desk this season.

“Christmas: A Newsboys Holiday” Michael Tait’s range comes out on this CD. His smooth, velvety vocals are reminiscent of Nat King Cole on “The Christmas Song” — one of the all-time great holiday songs. Before joining the newsboys, Tait had this song as a hidden track on his “Lose This Life” CD. Tait’s vocals on this CD might be a surprise to many rock fans, but he translates perfectly to Christmas music.

Don’t like listening to one artist when it comes to Christmas tunes? Then check out these two offerings– “The Essential Christmas Collection” and “Bethlehem Skyline 2.”

Essential is a compilation of artists from the Provident Label Group (a division of Sony) and features some of the best-known Christian artists. From Third Day and Mac Powell getting the CD going with “Angels We Have Heard On High” to Brandon Heath’s “The Night Before Christmas,” Revive’s “The First Noel” to Michael W. Smith’s emotional “All is Well.” There’s a Celtic feel to Casting Crown’s version of “Joy to the World.” Newcomer Kerrie Roberts’ vocal range is displayed on “Oh Holy Night,” and Building 429’s gritty version “What Child is This?” is fun. As the name implies this is an essential addition to your Christmas collection.

Bethlehem features new music from Centricity’s stable of artists — Jason Gray, Downhere, Lanae’ Hale, Sixteen Cities and others. The new songs are a pleasant reprieve from all the oldies. BUT don’t fret, classics such as “Silent Night,” “Away in the Manger,” and “Little Drummer Boy” are in the mix. I really like Downhere’s offerings. For some reason I’m reminded of Queen whenever I hear this band. The new music is reason enough to pick up this CD.

Patrice Wilson’s “A Christmas Blessing” and The Isaacs “Christmas” round out my selections. These were two new artists for me. I enjoy Wilson’s classic renditions of Christmas staples such as “Winter Wonderland,” “Jingle Bells” and “O Come all Ye Faithful.” When listening to this CD, I just wanted to curl up next to a fire with a hot cup of cocoa.

If your looking for some bluegrass tints to your Christmas tunes, then The Isaacs is your way to go. Complete with mandolin, fiddle and banjo the group offers up “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Silver Bells,” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman.” New songs include “It’s Christmas Time Again”, “Santa Claus is Real” and “The Savior of the World Has Come.”

If you were not one of the lucky fans to pick up Jeremy Camp‘s CD “We Cry Out: The Worship Project” during his visit to Coors Field earlier this month, then make a beeline to your local outlet — be it iTunes or a brick-and-mortar structure for this inspiring offering.

An ordained minister, Camp felt compelled to do a worship project that features favorites such as “Everlasting God,” “You Never Let Go” and “Mighty to Save” along with six songs written by Camp and collaborators, including Dove Award-winning songwriter Matt Maher and Jon Egan.

“I wanted to go back to my roots,” Camp said. “I was a worship leader growing up. And I have to say that this has been my most refreshing time doing music – there was something different about this.”

That something different can be heard in his rendition of “Overcome” by Jon Egan.

I’m a Denver Post sports copy editor, who covers Christian music in my spare time. I’m a rocker at heart. Grew up listening to Led Zeppelin, The Who ... classic rock is what they call it now. I was introduced to Christian rock by my cousin, Sharon. My first Christian rock experience was Atlanta Fest when I saw this new group — Third Day — playing in front of about 50 people at an outdoor picnic area.